Sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines



March 27, 1934. F. sPENcE El AL 2,

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed March 11, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lmfemfom. 5M 1% March 27, 1934. F. SPENCE ET AL SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed March 11 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ina/6725013. Xfuma.

Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Fred Spence, Sale, and Robert Snow Bartley, Al-

trincham, England, assignors to Linotype and Machinery Limited, London, England, a company registered under the Limited-Liability Company Acts Application March 11,

1933, Serial No. 660,358

In Great Britain March 18, 1932 6 Claims.

The invention relates to sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines of the kind in which the sheet is delivered from the impression cylinder on to endless tapes which convey the sheet at approximately the circumferential speed of the cylinder and transfer it to the upper flights of a series of endless tapes carried upon a reciprocating carriage. In this type of mechanism, as is well known, the upper flights of the carriage tapes remain stationary with respect to the carriage during the outward stroke of the latter, 1. e. during the depositing of the sheet thereon, and means are provided for arresting the travel of the upper flights of the tapes on the inward stroke of the carriage whilst the sheet is being deposited upon the delivery board.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of tape carriage in relation to the main delivery tapes, which facilitates the adjustable mounting of the latter so that they can be moved independently of the reciprocating carriage for giving access to parts of the machine located beneath them, and further to provide improved means for controlling the operation of the carriage tapes which ensures a more efficient cooperation thereof with the main tapes and a more satisfactory delivery of the sheets on to the delivery board when operating at higher speeds than those heretofore contemplated.

To this end in sheet delivery mechanism according to the invention, a roller (hereinafter termed a control roller), over which the carriage tapes are guided, is rotatably mounted on a stationary axis located near the delivery end of the main delivery tapes, and is preferably arranged so as to guide the upper flights of the carriage tapes, during their passage over the roller, at a level slightly lower than that of the main tapes at the delivery end.

According to further features of the invention, the before-mentioned control roller is provided with a free wheel permitting it to be rotated by the tapes during the outward travel of the carriage and holding it against rotation in the reverse direction during the inward travel of the erably at a slightly lower level so that the carriage tapes are guided around approximately three quarters of the periphery of the control roller; and the main tapes are mounted so as to be pivotally movable out of operative relationship with the carriage tapes.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings which'illustrate a preferred constructional form of apparatus embodying the improvements.

In the said drawings 7 Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of sufficient of a printing machine to show the application thereto of the improved delivery mechanism;

Figure 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale of part of Figure 1, showing the so-called tape-control roller and its actuating mechanism, and

Figure 3 is a plan of the parts represented in Figure 2. i

Referring first to Figure 1, which illustrates diagrammatically the general arrangement of the apparatus, 1 are the main delivery tapes by which the printed sheets are received from the printing cylinder 2 and conveyed outwardly at approximately the circumferential speed of that cylinder, and 3 are endless tapes on the carriage 4 reciprocated on runways 5 by rocking arms 6 to which carriage tapes the sheets are delivered by the main delivery tapes 1 during the outward stroke of the carriage 4, and by which such sheets are deposited on the delivery board 7 during'the inward stroke of the said carriage.

Accordingto the invention the upper flights of thecarriage tapes 3 are led around a control roller 8 rotatable on a stationary axis, thence around a guide roller 9 also mounted on a stationary axis, to' the tape rollers 10 and 11 carried at respectively opposite ends of the riciprocating carriage 4. e s

The control roller 8 is provided with a free wheel 12 permitting it to be rotated by the tapes 3 during the outward travel of the carriage (l and to be held against rotation in the reverse direction during the inward travel of the said carriage.

The control roller 8 and guide roller 9 are rotatably mounted in stationary brackets 13, one such bracket being fixed at each side of the machine to a transverse shaft 14 carried by the main delivery frame 15, see particularly Figure 2.

The axis of the guide roller 9 is arranged closely adjacent to the control roller 8, and preferably at a slightly lower level to ensure that the upper flights of the carriage tapes 3 pass beneath the lower flights of the main delivery tapes 1 during the inward movement of the carriage 4, and also to, ensure that the carriage tapes 3 are guided around approximately three quarters of the periphery of the control rolI'er'B'. Thus, as a sheet is delivered by the main delivery tapes 1 on to the upper flights of the carriage tapes 3 during the outward movement of the carriage 4, the control roller 8 is free to rotate so that the upper flights of the tapes remain stationary relatively to the carriage, and during the inward movement of-the carriage, the control roller 8 is held against rotation to permit the movement of the upper flights of the carriage tapes 3 to be arrested whilst the sheet is being deposited upon the delivery board 7.

The control roller 8 is positioned at a level slightly lower than that of the upper flight of. the main tapes 1, so as to give the sheets only a short drop from the main delivery tapes 1 to the carriage tapes 3, and to leave the main-tape supporting frame free to swing upwardly about the axis of the rear main tape pulleys to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, for giving access to the forme and inking mechanisms of thepress located beneath the main tapes.

According to afurther feature of the invention, when the free wheel 12 normally acts to arrest-the movement of the control roller 8 and the carriage tapes 3 during the inward movement of the carriage, the control roller 8 is turned in clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2, to give ,a slight outward motion to the top flight 1' of the carriage tapes 3 whilst the sheet is being delivered, thus ensuring that the leading edge of such sheet is held against the front stops on the delivery board.

, A preferred constructional form of mechanism by which this movement of the control roller 8 isaccomplished is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. According to this arrangement, the rock shaft 16 carryingthe arms 6 by which the carriage 4 is reciprocated, is-connected by a link 17 to a lever arm 18'secured to a short sleeve 19'rotatable on a stud fixed in one of the brackets 13. r This sleeve 19 is provided with a second arm 20 connected by a link 21 with an arm 22 fast to the outer member of the free wheel 12. Thus, when the link 17 and the connections therefrom to the free wheel-are moved from the position diagram- .maticallyrepresented by dot-and-dashlines in Figure 2, to the full line position shown in that r figure, the free wheel is given a clockwise turn of approximately 90, carrying with it the control roller 8 then locked against the free wheel by the tendency of the tape to turn it anticlockwise, and' imparting to the tapes the desired outward movement.

Having described our invention, we declare that what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines comprising in combination a set of main delivery tapes, a reciprocating tape carriage adapted to receive sheets from the main tapes, a control roller mounted on a stationary axis located adjacent to the delivery end of the main tapes over which the carriage tapes are guided, a free-wheel device on the control roller whereby the travel of the upper flights of the carriage tapes is arrested during the inward stroke of the carriage, and means adapted to impart a slight outward movement to the upper flights of the carriage tapes during the inwardstroke of the carriage.

2. Sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines comprising in combination a set of main delivery tapes, a reciprocating tape carriage adapted. to receive sheets from the main tapes, a control roller mounted on a stationary axis located adjacent to the delivery end of the main tapes over which the upper flights of the carriage tapes are guided at a level slightly lower than that of the main tapes at the delivery end, a free-wheel device on the control roller whereby the travel of the upper flights of the carriage tapes is arrested during the inward stroke of the carriage, and means adapted to impart a slight outward movement to the upper flights of the carriage tapes during the inward stroke of the carriage.

3. Sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines comprising in combination a set of main delivery tapes, a reciprocating tape carriage adapted to receive sheets from the main tapes, a control roller mounted on a stationary axis located adjacent to the delivery end of the main tapes over which the carriage tapes are guided, a guide roller mounted on a stationary axis located adjacent to the axis of the control roller and belo-wand forwardly of the axis of the control roller, whereby the. carriage tapes are'led into contact with more than half the periphery of said first guide roller, and a tape roller on the carriage located in a bight of the carriage tapes and adapted at alternate strokes of the carriage to extend said bight beneath the main tapes.

.4. Sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines comprisi'ngin combination a set'of main delivery tapes, a reciprocating tape carriage adapted to receive sheets from the main tapes, a control roller mounted on a stationary axis located adjacent to the delivery end of the main tapes over which theupper flights of the carriage tapes are guided at a level slightly lower than that of the mainv tapes at the delivery end, a guide roller mountedon a stationary axis located adjacent to theaxis of the control roller and below and forwardly of the axis of the control'roller, whereby the carriage tapes are led into contact with more than half the periphery of said first guide roller, and a tape roller on the carriage located in a bight of the carriage tapes and adapted at alternate strokes of the carriage to extend said bight beneath the main tapes.

5. Sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines comprising in combination a set of main delivery tapes, a reciprocating tape carriage adapted to receive sheets from the main tapes, 2. control roller mounted on a stationary axis located adjacent to the delivery end of the main tapes over which the upper flights of the carria'ge tapes are guided at a level slightly lower than that of the main tapes at the delivery end, a free-wheel device on the control roller whereby the travel of the upper flights of the carriage tapes is arrested during the inward stroke of the carriage, a guide roller mounted on a stationary axis located adjacent to the axis of the control roller and below and. forwardly of the axis of the control roller, whereby the carriage tapes are led into contact with more than half the periphery of said first guide roller, and a tape roller on the carriage located in abight of the carriage tapes and adapted at alternate strokes of the carriage to extend said bight beneath the main tapes.

6. Sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines comprising in combinationa set of main delivery tapes, a reciprocating tape carriage adapted to receivesheets from the main tapes, a

located adjacent to the axis of the control roller and below and forwardly of the axis of the control roller, whereby the carriage tapes are led into contact with more than half the periphery of said first guide roller, and a tape roller on the carriage located in a bight of the carriage tapes and adapted at alternate strokes of the carriage to extend said bight beneath the main tapes.

FRED SPENCE.

ROBERT SNOW BARTLEY. 

